Love the Skin You're In
The first day of spring was last Friday!
I know for those of us on the East Coast and those located in the Midwest, this is sure a sign of some REAL weather relief.
Trust me, more than enough of us located on the East couldn’t wait for that first 40 degree break in, for what some of say was really the “coldest winter ever” (not the book). For our readers on the West Coast, count your blessings, you guys sure are lucky. But no worries, East Coasters, we are almost there. Just hold on!
Ok, so enough about weather. This post isn’t about my ultimate desire to be somewhere warm, it’s about SKIN! Yes people, with weather changes, no matter where you are, your skin doesn’t change, exactly, but you will need to adapt your skin care methods for healthier looking and feeling skin. Below are some tips that can help. Some of these tips may seem like second knowledge but hey, take it as a healthy reminder. I want all of you to absolutely LOVE the skin you’re in, figuratively and physically.
TIP 1. Drink lots and lots of WATER!
Yes water, natures cure for anything right? Got a burn? Run some water over it. Running out of fuel, drink some nice replenishing water. Water is essential to the functioning of our bodies. Water assist in clearing wastes through “urination, perspiration, and bowel movements”, CDC.Gov. Simply put, water cleanses your body of toxins that can cause skin blemishes and can give you nice clear skin. So DRINK WATER!
TIP 2. Moisture
Now this may seem like a little silly only because in the hotter months you probably realize your skin is already moist but when I say "moisture", I really mean keep your skin hydrated. Now, drinking water again helps in this, but what we want to look at is light, face creams that actually protect your skin from the amount of dirt that comes from your sweat. Also, when you keep your skin hydrated by face creams you are conditioning your skin to actually perform better in the winter.
My favorite product of all time is a light cream from L'Occitane called Almond Milk Concentrate (pictured below). I absolutely love this cream. This milk concentrate cream is very light and refreshing on your skin. It doesn't put pressure on your skin and throughout the day you have nice, soft and smooth skin that can perform well throughout every month. If you're like me and don't like to put lotion on your face in the summer because it's so hot, this is the perfect product for you because of the special Almond product that is known to keep your skin feeling great and refreshed.
Image by L’Occitane {Link: http://usa.loccitane.com/almond-milk-concentrate,82,1,29229,263600.htm}
TIP 3. DIY masks and scrubs
The FUN part. DIY masks and scrubs are very easy and honestly you can do them with products you have right in your kitchen. DIY masks and scrubs serve the same purpose as any other scrub you would buy from a store, they just save you time and money. I'm going to share with you my favorite DIY scrub and mask.
First, let's discuss the scrub.
Scrubs are usually something that you can incorporate into your daily face wash routine or you can do about twice a week. It really depends on the climate you’re in. Your skin produces new cells every day and using a face scrub will not only cleanse your skin of old cells but will also regenerate your new cells, keeping your skin looking alive.
What you'll need:
- Honey 1/2 cup
- Brown Sugar 1/2 cup
- Lemon 1/2 cut
If you think this is too much then by all means dwindle the amount down to what you think you'll use. This recipe is to make a batch so that you'll have some to last for a while.
All you do is mix all the ingredients together, run warm water on your face to open your pores then use your DIY scrub, wash off the scrub with warm water, then seal your wash with cold water. .
TA-Da!
You're all done. Do you feel a difference? Now because you’re using lemon in this scrub, I recommend only doing this scrub at night. Lemon opens your pores while the brown sugar cleans and the honey smooths your skin, leaving you skin looking great and smelling wonderful. If you do this before you go out for the day, you are allowing your pores to be open which causes blemishes and that's what we're trying to eliminate. Do this for about 2 weeks and see if you can tell the difference in your skin
Second, let's discuss my favorite DIY masks. Now because you use a little more time with a mask, I recommend only doing this mask once or twice a week. Pick a time during the week when you schedule your alone time to really allow the mask to work without you being rushed.
What you'll need:
- Green Tea bag or leaves
- Honey
All right, I know you're reading this saying why "honey", honey has so many great benefits for your skin. Not only does it smooth your skin, it helps fight blemishes as well. So what you want to do is, make tea! Yes, make tea. Once your tea is done, take the tea bag and take out the wet leaves (if you use leaves then you're already a step ahead), mix the tealeaves and the honey together until you get a nice paste. Smooth all over your face and let it sit for about 20-25 mins. While you're letting your mask sit, sip your green tea. It's good for you so why not?
Once you're all done, wash with warm water then seal your wash with a cold rinse. You don't want all your hard work to not stick. Pair this mask with your scrub treatment and watch your skin glow.
TIP 4: Let your skin breathe
Last but not least, one of the most important tips, LET YOUR SKIN BREATHE. It's time to pack away the contouring make up for a while and for my guy readers who are so equip to using Vaseline as a face protectant, no need to fret because your skins protects itself. Your skin produces it's own water and that water needs to be washed off frequently. If you pound your face with hard products that don't let your skin breathe, when that sweat comes from your skin it's going to eventually gather and build dirt which causes, those unsightly blemishes and that's not what we want.
Well there you have it folks, my tips for transitioning your wonderful skin. If you try any of the products I've mentioned or any of the DIY projects, leave me a comment and let me know what works for you and what doesn't. Also, if you have any fun tips, sound off and comment below.
I hope you enjoyed reading and will continue to read Afrovocative. Stay up with us on IG @afrovocative and remember to like us on Facebook, Afrovocative.
XoXo, your AfroBeauty,
TiffyNe_cole
Ps. No matter what you do, always remember to love the skin you're in!